VietNamNet Bridge - The welcome ceremony of the UNESCO’s World Documentary Heritage certificate for the Buddhist woodblocks of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is being held on October 6 in Bac Giang Province.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda’s Buddhist woodblocks (located in Tri Yen commune, Yen Dung district, Bac Giang province) were recognized as UNESCO world documentary heritage under the Memory of the World Programme in May 2012.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda now preserves over 3,000 Buddhist woodblocks, carved from the 16-19 centuries to serve training of Truc Lam Zen Buddhist monks. Each woodblock has two sides, carving reverse Han Nom scripts of various contents: medicine, literature, spells, Buddhist rules, etc.

The largest woodblock has a length of more than 1m, a width of 40-50cm with unique carved patterns.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is known as the "grand temple", a major Buddhist center of the Tran Dynasty, an important place of the three founders of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhism (Tran Nhan Tong – Phap Loa - Huyen Quang).

In a series of activities to celebrate this significant event, Bac Giang authorities will also hold a ceremony to receive the National Relic Certificate for the cluster of relics associated with the Yen The insurrection.

The Yen The Relic is the site of the peasant uprising against the French colonialism, led by the national hero Hoang Hoa Tham, that lasted for 30 years (1884-1913).

Aslo, Bac Giang will organize the Festival of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Giang Ethnic Groups, with many activities, from now until October 8.

T.L